Thursday, October 27, 2011

Kuna's police budget is not 90 percent of the total budget

A few of the Kuna city candidates have repeated the misperception that the police budget takes up 90 percent of the city’s budget.As reported in the Kuna Melba News, the $1.315 million police services budget takes up 90 percent of the city’s property tax revenue, not the entire budget.The city’s total $12.7 million budget is composed of several funds: the general fund, the sewer fund, the water fund and the pressurized irrigation fund.The general fund is what pays for police services, the parks, planning and zoning and general city operations, such as many city employee salaries. Revenues for the general fund come from property tax revenue, sales tax revenue from the state and county, permit and license fees, the streetlight fee and building permit fees. The general fund this year is $2.7 million.The sewer, water and pressurized irrigation funds are what are known as “enterprise” funds. Revenue for these funds comes from connection fees and monthly utility fees that users pay each month when they receive their utility bills. These funds make up the balance of the total $12.7 million budget.

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About Me

I am the editor of the Kuna Melba News, which my wife, Nicola, and I purchased in September 2006.
I went to Syracuse University, receiving degrees in newspaper journalism and English textual studies.
My first day as a professional journalist was on June 24, 1994, at the Current-Argus in Carlsbad, N.M., where I met Nicola.
From 1995 to 1998, I was at the News-Herald in Mentor, Ohio, just outside Cleveland.
Nicola and I moved to San Francisco in 1998, where I went to work for the San Mateo County Times, eventually becoming managing editor.
In 2001, we moved to Rochester, N.Y., where I was an assistant metro editor at the Democrat and Chronicle for five years.
Nicola and I bought our first house and started our family, with our two sons, Luke and Robert.
Nicola and I also started to seriously consider purchasing our own newspaper.
We found the Kuna Melba News on a businesses for sale web site and purchased it in September 2006.